Taking a page out of the Fins (Finish?) book

So, after a lot of talk back and forth with J, we’ve comfortably decided that we won’t do any formal schooling with the babes until the age of 7.

I know, insane, right!?

I read an article about a week ago about the school systems in Finland. Their education system in ranked the best in the world. They have the best outcomes, etc., etc. Pretty much everything I read that said contributed to this were things I all ready strongly believe in: shorter school days, more time playing (they have a minimum of 70 minutes of recess a day!), they only partake in one standardized test throughout their entire pre-university education, etc, etc.

The one thing though, that really made me go what!? is that they do not even begin formal education, until the age of 7.

I thought this was crazy.

But then again, a year and a half ago I thought the idea of homeschooling was crazy. And that children “learn through play” was crazy. It wasn’t even a full year ago that I fully believed that the younger children were put into the academic system, the better. Now I know that they are learning more through play than they ever could in an academic institution.

So I’m coming around. I’m changing. That’s what people do.

But this whole not until the age of 7 business really threw me off. I mean, how do I not teach my children until the age of 7?

I mean, we have homemade Montessori-style alphabet flashcards that H loves to practice. We have a great set of BOB books that her Godmother sent us that she often requests to work with. Am I not supposed to do those with her?

Of course I am! If she requests it. Once I understood this vital part of the education system in Finland, I realized that it’s so on par with my beliefs anyway. I had never planned to make H or B sit down and learn something if it wasn’t fun for them until kindergarten age. Even then, not so much. I love the idea of child-lead learning. But at the same time, I believe it’s imperative to learn the basic things. So if someone hated math, then yes, I’d step in and make it mandatory.

So in Finland they believe in child-lead learning 100% until the age of 7. Then more structure is brought in as they join the academic world. But even so, their school system is largely student-lead as well, where the students have the ability to focus and concentrate on their interests more intensely than other subjects.

I love it.

And I love the idea of waiting until 7 before forcing anything on them.

7 years is such a short amount of time in the grand scheme of things. So 7 years to just be a kid, for playing to be your only real responsibility, is amazing.

And I think I’d like it to be my goal. 7 years of 100% childhood for my babes. I think it’s a good goal.

But if I’m losing my sanity all ready come a year or so, I’m always willing to re-evaluate my beliefs. I'm pretty good at that anyway.